Kafir-corn cutter.



H. A. GERSTENFIELD & B. FRIEND. KAFIR CORN CUTTER. APPLICATION FILED MARA, 1912.

1,047,040. Patented Dec. 10,1912.

2 SHEETSSHBET 1.

b Attorneys COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH CO WASHINUTON' D C H. A. GERST-ENFIELD & B. FRIEND.

KAFIR CORN CUTTER.

APPLICATION FILED MABA, 1912.

Patented Dec.10,1912.

2 sums-sum 2.

Inventors by I v.

Attorneys UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY A. GERSTENIFIELD, 0F CHICKASHA, AND ELIAS FRIEND, OF CEMENT, OKLAHOMA.

KAFIR-CORN CUTTER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed. March 4, 1912. Serial No. 681,381.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, HENRY A. GERSTEN- FIELD and ELIAS FRIEND, citizens of the United States, residing at Chickasha and Cement, in the counties of Grady and Caddo, State of Oklahoma, have invented a new and useful Kafir-Corn Cutter, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to Kafir corn cutters, one of its objects being to provide a simple, durable and compact device of this character adapted to be fastened to one of the hands of the operator and held in such position that the top or head of the corn can be held by the thumb and first finger of the hand while the other fingers can be used for severing the corn at a point below where it is grasped.

A further object is to provide a device of this character having a cutting blade mounted for reciprocation, there being yielding means for holding this blade normally spaced from the fixed blade cooperating therewith, said means being housed where it cannot be interfered with by trash or other foreign substances accumulating thereon.

A further object is to provide a cutter of this character which is light and Which can be worn comfortably.

.With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed can be made within the scope of what is claimed, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings the preferred forms of the invention have been shown.

In said drawings :Figure 1 isa perspective view of the cutter, the position of the hand and stalk relative thereto while the device is in use, being indicated by dotted lines. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the cutter, certain of the straps being broken away. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the cutter on a reduced scale and with its detachable face plate removed. Fig. 4: is a perspective view of the slide to which the movable cutter is to be attached. Fig. 5 is a perspective View of the movable blade. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the stationary blade. Fig. 7 is a side elevation of a portion of the device and with the face plate removed, to show springs of a modified form for holding the blade carrying slide normally projected. Fig. 8 is a view similar to Fig. 7 and showing another form of spring.

Referring to the figures by characters of reference 1 designates a thin housing two sides of which are preferably disposed at right angles to each other, as indicated at 2 and 3 respectively while the other side of the housing follows an ogee curve, as shown at 4.- so that the housing is substantially triangular in outline. A flange 5 extends laterally from the housing along the bottom edge 3 thereof and is provided, at one end, with an extension 6 forming a tongue the end of which is folded as at 7, to provide a guide slot 8 across which extends a guide pin 9 in the form of a rivet, screw or the like, said pin serving to prevent the folded portion of the tongue from spreading open and also constituting means for guiding a plate 10 whichis mounted to slide within the slot 8 and has a longitudinal slot 11 through which the pin 9 extends. This plate 10 extends perpendicularly from a slide 12 at the lower edge thereof, said slide being mounted to reciprocate within the straight upstanding wall 2 of the housing and being provided, at its outer end, with a rounded finger piece 13 from which extends a bailshaped guard 14:. Slide 12 has a longitudinal slot 15 designed to receive a guide rib 16 which is formed within the housing and is parallel with the lower edge 3 thereof. Slide 12 has a notch 17 in its upper edge designed to receive one end of a bow spring 18, the other end portion of this spring bearing against the wall 4 of the housing while an intermediate portion of the spring is supported by a lug 19 arranged within the housing. Thus it will be seen that the spring 18 serves normally to hold the slide 12 projected outwardly from the housing and with the outer end of its slotted plate 10 bearing against the outer or end wall of the slot 8. Ears 20 are preferably extended laterally from the inner end of the slide 12 and are adapted to slidably engage a face plate 21 removably mounted on the open V ter with the slot 11 and to receive the guide pin 9 heretofore referred to. Both of the blades 23 and 25 are diagonally disposed,

the forward or working edge of the blade 23 being preferably blunt and rounded at its outer end, as shown at 28 while the rear or working edge of the blade 25 is sharpened and is likewise curved, at its outer end, as indicated at 29. The working edges of the two blades preferably converge toward the p 1 housing 1, as clearly shown in Fig. 2.

For the purpose of attaching the tool to the hand of the operator preferably two straps 30 are riveted or otherwise secured to the face plate 21 of the housing while additional straps are attached in any suitable manner to the flange 5 and to the upper end of the housing 1 as indicated at 31 and 32 respectively. These straps, as well as the straps 30 may-be provided with suitable forms of buckles whereby the said straps can be secured to the hand of the operator.

The tool is adapted to be held in the palm of the hand, the straps 31 and 32 extending across the. back of the hand between the thumb and the fore-finger. The straps 30 are extended around the wrist. After these straps have been tightened it will be seen that the tool will be held securely against displacement.

In using the tool the blades 25 and 23 are placed with a stalk of corn extending between them. The operator then inserts the last three fingers of the hand into the guard ltand grips the top or head of the corn with the thumb and fore-finger. The finger piece 13 is then drawn toward the housing 1 by means of the fingers engaging it and blade 25 is thus caused to engage the stalk and, cooperating with blade 23, to shear it off. Th1s action will of course place the spring 18 under stress. As soon as the finger piece 13 s released, after the shearing operation, spring 18 will return the parts to their initial positions.

It is to be understood that cutters such as herein described can be made in the form of rights and lefts so that one of them can be attached to each hand, and the user, by walklng between two rows of corn, can

' out two stalks simultaneously.

Instead of utilizing a spring such as shown in Fig. 3 for the purpose of holding slide 12 normally projected, parallel coiled springs 33 can be utilized, as illustrated in Fig. 7, these springs bearing at one end against the ears 20 of slide 12 and at their other end engaging studs 34 extending from the curved wall A of the housing. Another form of spring has been illustrated in Fig. 8, this spring, which has been indicated at 35, being elliptical and being secured, at diametrically opposed points, to the slide 12 and to the housing. The actions of both springs are the same as that of the spring 18.

It is to be understood that the blades 23 and 25 can be easily removed and others substituted therefor when it is desired to replace them with new ones or when it is desired to sharpen the blade 25.

hat is claimed is 1. A cutting implement including a fiat housing, means for securing the same fiat upon the palm of a hand, a stationary blade perpendicular to and extending laterally from the housing, a cutting blade mounted to reciprocate and arranged perpendicular to and extending laterally from the housing, and means movable with said cutting blade and relative to the housing for engagement by certain fingers of the hand to which the housing is secured.

2. A cutting implement including a flat housing, means for securing the same across and upon the palm of a hand, a stationar cutting blade extending laterally from an at right angles to the housing, a spring pressed slide movably mounted within and extending beyond the housing, a cutting blade movable therewith and extending laterally from and perpendicular to the housing, and means on the slide for engagement by a finger of the hand to which the housing is secured, to actuate the movable blade toward the fixed blade.

3. A cutting tool including a housing, means for securing the same to a hand, a longitudinal flange outstanding from the housing and having an extension constituting a guide tongue, a blade detachably secured to the flange and extending laterally beyond the housing, a slide movably connected to the housing, a cutting blade detachably connected to the slide, said slide being movable relative to the guide, and means within the housing for holding the slide yieldingly projected beyond the housing.

4. A cutting tool including a housing, means for securing the same to a hand, a longitudinal flange outstanding from the housing and having an integral tongue at one end, a blade detachably connected to the flange and extending laterally from the housing, a slide movably connected to the housing, a cutting blade detachably connected tothe slide, said slide being guided 5 for engagement and actuation by certain of by the tongue, yielding means Within the as our own, We have hereto aflixed our signahousing for holding the slide normally protures in the presence of tWo Witnesses.

j ected and the cutting blade normally spaced from the other blade, and means on the slide STENFIELD' the fingers of the hand to which the housing Witnesses: is secured. HARRY HAMMERLY, In testimony that We claim the foregoing B. F. H0LW1NG.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I). C. 

